Volume One, Chapter 11: The Schemes of the Han Jingyue Family

Late at night, the Han couple lay awake for a long time.

“Husband, what do you think we should do about this?” Mrs. Han asked anxiously. “Why would Young Master Jiang suddenly reject Jingyue out of the blue?”

“Why else?” Mr. Han growled angrily. “It’s that foolish girl of yours, always greedy for more, trying to keep both sides happy and ended up sinking the boat! Hmph, if you want to play both sides, you need skill. Look, she’s just capsized now!”

“Hmph, what do you mean ‘mine’? Isn’t she yours too?” Mrs. Han snapped back.

“Alright, alright, she’s mine,” Mr. Han nodded.

“Then what should we do?” Mrs. Han pressed. “Without Young Master Jiang’s support, how can the two of us possibly afford Jingning’s tuition? The teachers at the academy said Jingning has a natural talent for forging. If she studies for two more years, she could earn medals and make money.”

“Yes! But these next two years will be hard,” Mr. Han sighed.

The yearly tuition was twenty spirit stones, and there were no costs for food, clothing, or lodging. Of course, the academy provided free meals, but those only filled the stomach—they didn’t help improve cultivation. To advance, they needed to eat spirit food.

The couple worked hard all year, barely saving fifty or sixty spirit stones. The family still had to eat, drink, and live, so the final savings were halved at best, and all those spirit stones went back into various academies.

Their daughter’s talent was mediocre; she only entered the preparatory class to try securing a wealthy husband. The plan was to learn some spells and eventually work in workshops to earn a living. If luck favored her, she might marry into a rich family and help support her brothers.

As fate would have it, Young Master Jiang Heng, a direct descendant of the Golden Core ancestor of the Jiang family, took a liking to their daughter. This was truly a blessing, and everything was unfolding as they had hoped.

The only problem was that it all stemmed from their daughter herself.

Despite Young Master Jiang’s kindness, she insisted that Gu Lan was a better match and always wore a sour face around Young Master Jiang.

Now, Young Master Jiang was disappointed and no longer pursuing her.

That brat!

No, Mr. Han suddenly sat up from bed. “I’m telling you, this can’t just be let go! Finding another son-in-law like Young Master Jiang is basically impossible. We have to hold onto him, no matter what!”

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“What can you do?” Mrs. Han sighed in despair.

“Hmph, women know how to handle men; it’s not that hard. Didn’t you once—ah!” Mr. Han was cut off as Mrs. Han twisted his waist, furious.

“What nonsense are you talking about?” she snapped.

Mr. Han chuckled. “Back then, how were you so bold? You teased me so much I was helpless. Why can’t you take a joke now?”

Mrs. Han retorted, “If I’d known you’d turn out so useless and make me suffer with back pain, I’d never have let you off the hook!”

“Hey now, how am I any worse than others?” he protested.

“Hmph, better than you? Can you even compare to Young Master Jiang?” Mrs. Han snorted coldly.

“Exactly!” Mr. Han said. “You keep going around in circles. It’s because he’s so good that we have to find a way to win him over.”

“Right. So what’s the plan?” Mrs. Han asked, frowning.

“For extraordinary situations, extraordinary measures,” Mr. Han whispered. “It depends on our daughter. My idea is, if nothing else works, we use a little potion. Once the rice is cooked, the matter is settled.”

“Will that work?” Mrs. Han hesitated. “After all, he’s a descendant of the founder of the Xuanyuan Sect. Can we really do that?”

“Hmph, it’s been hundreds of years; the feelings have faded,” Mr. Han said with some worldly wisdom. “As long as they have a physical relationship, we can legitimize a marriage proposal. Otherwise, wouldn’t they be tarnishing their ancestor’s reputation?”

“You make a good point!” Mrs. Han smiled.

“Alright then. We’ll split up. I’ll go find Old Xu to buy some potent potion powder, and you talk to our daughter. Whatever she wants, first we must get Young Master Jiang into the picture, right?”

“Okay, I’ll talk to her.”

No one knew how Mrs. Han persuaded her that night, but the next day, when Han Jingyue left the house, she had a packet of powder hidden on her.

When she met Gu Lan, Han Jingyue looked somewhat guilty. She had indeed promised her mother the night before that during this trial, she would make sure to “cook the rice” with Jiang Heng.

Her mother said that only this way would life return to how it used to be. And if she truly liked Gu Lan, then she should be with Young Master Jiang. Otherwise, where would Gu Lan get resources for cultivation? Would he survive by selling those low-grade talismans?

Gu Lan followed her, watching her distracted expression. He couldn’t help but ask, “Jingyue, what’s wrong?”

“Huh? Nothing, nothing at all!” she quickly shook her head.

“Are you worried about the trial? Don’t worry, as long as we try our best, we’ll gain something,” Gu Lan encouraged with a smile.

Han Jingyue thought for a moment and decided it was better to tell him sooner.

“Gu Lan, I’ve decided to work with Jiang Heng. You know, I’m not confident about this trial. With him, my chances are better.”

Gu Lan felt hurt. “Jingyue, you still can’t forget him? After everything he’s done?”

“How could that be?” Han Jingyue hurried to reassure him. “I just don’t want to miss this opportunity! If I fail this trial, next year's advancement will be in jeopardy, and tuition will be even higher. You know my family doesn’t want to pay for me.”

She started crying, “I’m aiming to raise my cultivation to Qi Refinement Stage Five within two years, then earn a first-class alchemist medal. Only then can our future improve. Otherwise, with just you alone, we can’t even repay Jiang Heng’s debts, let alone anything else.”

Seeing her cry, Gu Lan felt heartbroken. She included him in her future plans and cared about him—he was deeply moved.

“I’m just feeling sorry for you,” Gu Lan said, putting an arm around her shoulders. “Jiang Heng hasn’t treated you well these days. If you go to him, who knows how many cold words you’ll endure. I worry about you.”

“It’s okay! For the future, a little hardship doesn’t matter!” Han Jingyue wiped her tears. “Let’s go. It’s already late. The longer we delay, the later it’ll be.”

“Alright! Take care of yourself!”

“I will! Three days will pass in no time. When we come back, we’ll leave together. How about that?”

“Good!”